The Profiler Who Saved Christmas
by anything-new
Summary: When Garcia seems to have lost her Christmas spirit, Morgan is the only one who can make the world go round again. Will he be rewarded with the gift of a lifetime?   Written for the Christmas Gift Exchange on Chit Chat on Author's Corner.
1. Impending doom

**A/N: This is my Christmas fic written for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Gift Exchange, and I am writing it for Someone Aka Me. **

**My pairing is Morgan/Garcia, and the items to include are: **** Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town (Reliant K), a snow dog, stockings, an ugly Christmas sweater. **

**The story must also be T or below, given the young age of the recipient :) **

**There's a bit of angst first, never you worry, there will be a HEA :) **

**My aim is to post one chapter a day, although I can almost guarantee the entire story won't be posted by Christmas, for which I apologize profusely, some petty health problems have put me very, very behind on schedule and the last thing I had in mind were the holidays for a while there. **

**Nevertheless, I hope you will enjoy the story :) **

Standing in front of her office for the third time that day, Morgan still hesitated. Just like this morning and then after lunch, he'd raised his hand, halted mid-movement, and ran it over his face instead, his shoulders slumped a little. And for the third time, he turned around without knocking, at this point he didn't even care about the curious looks he was receiving from other agents passing by.

What he was living was far, far worse than any remark anyone could make. He was at a loss, and he didn't like one minute of it, because the longer this situation went unfixed, the more he felt disheveled. Sighing, he took a look at his watch and then took off, approaching his new destination with determined steps. This time, he knocked swiftly, and didn't even wait for a "come in" before bursting inside.

"Morgan, I'm really bu-," JJ complained, but something about the haunted look on his face quietened her mid-sentence.

"JJ, do you know what's wrong with her?" Morgan sounded slightly desperate, an attitude nobody at the BAU had ever witnessed, not even when he was falsely accused of murdering three boys.

"I'm not sure," JJ shook her head sadly, knowing immediately whom he was talking about. Only one person had that effect on the man in front of her. She gestured at the seat in front of her desk, and he quickly closed the door before sitting down. Maybe, together, they could solve this riddle.

"She hasn't spoken to me in three weeks," he said softly, his worry evident. They hardly ever fought. He remembered two occasions, just before she had been shot by her date and when he had become too involved with a victim's sister. She had barely acknowledged him for a while then, but this time he couldn't even think of anything which might've caused her behavior.

"She blew off lunch with Emily and me twice now, we normally do that every week and she just sent us a message, didn't even call, to tell us she couldn't make it," JJ agreed.

"She hasn't been in the break room either. She brings in her lunch and keeps it in her office. And her door is locked," Morgan observed. "Something is definitely wrong."

"We just need to figure out what happened three weeks ago," JJ nodded.

"An anniversary of some kind?" he mused, racking his brain for any clue, "She usually loves the holidays. Last year she put up so many decorations logistics complained about the electricity bill."

"She hasn't even worn a festive sweater this season," JJ remarked, "Anderson wished her Happy Holidays before his leave and she nearly cried."

"Kevin?" Morgan reluctantly asked, he didn't like the man his best friend was dating and the feeling was mutual, but if he could help...

"Last I heard he... asked her to marry him," JJ carefully informed him, she knew_ that_ was probably news; her suspicion was confirmed when he gasped and she saw him pale. The thought was making his stomach lurch, but he quickly regained his composure.

"She must've been over the moon," he remarked dryly, not entirely capable of masking his feelings on the subject.

"I don't know," JJ shrugged, "She never talked about it to me. I only know because Kevin asked me to invite her for the afternoon so he could decorate her apartment."

"She's not wearing a ring," Morgen remarked, secretly relieved, "I'm going to talk to her."

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

_"Fourth time's a charm_," Derek thought, as he stood once more in front of Penelope Garcia's office door. He scowled at a snickering Anderson, ignored the curious looks, and finally knocked on her door, hoping she would hear him through the music she was playing at a volume simply indecent for an FBI office. He cringed when he recognized the song, Penelope only played punk when she was really mad, or upset, and somehow, he suspected it was both.

_Unless something drastic happens fast,  
Say hello to the ghost of Christmas past.  
Because, Rudolph's puking boughs of holly!  
Old Saint Nick ain't all that jolly. _

The lyrics of Reliant K's "Santa Clause is Thumbing to Town" told him everything he needed to know about her sudden reluctance to participate in the holiday cheer, and he shook his head. Whoever did this, would pay for it. She was usually the light of the party, the force everyone relied upon during the darkest day of the year, the bringer of cheer and jolly … and now she was listening to what he could only qualify as bad music and locking herself up, isolating herself from the team, and most importantly, from him. This had to change. Suddenly determined, Derek banged the door three times in rapid succession, hoping to attract her attention. He'd call, but she was only picking up her phone when it was Hotch or Rossi calling, and _they _already assured him he was on his own, they didn't want to piss her off even more.

"Baby girl," he yelled over the music, "Open this door or I'm kicking it in!"

He heard the familiar sound of her chair being rolled away from her desk, an his heart started beating faster as he heard her turn the music down. Second later, the door flew open, and he was greeted by a scowling Garcia.

"What is it, Morgan," she snapped, obviously upset about being disturbed. He took the time to take a good look at her before he answered, and he didn't like what he saw at all. In front of him stood Penelope, that at least he was sure of, but gone were her colourful clothes and sparkly accessories. She'd look all business if she didn't look slightly frumpy, and that was another thing which didn't add up for him. If anything, she was always dressed impeccably. The dark bags under her eyes sealed it for him: something was wrong, something was very, very wrong.

"Penelope," he said softly, well aware of everyone's eyes on him, "Can I come in?"

She shook her head, slowly getting back into her office, but instead of letting her go this time he stood his ground. He took her by the arm, turning her to face him again, and he looked her deep in the eyes, trying to appeal to the years of friendship between them.

"Please?" he pleaded, and this time, she nodded and stepped aside to let him in.

**A/N: ch. 1 contained the song. Let's see where the rest of the prompts fit in … I know it's a bit angsty, but really, it's just build up to **_**them**_** :) Now, on with the show? **


	2. Signs of the Apocalypse

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the support! I will reply to reviews as soon as I get the time. I was distracted all day playing with my new iPhone – I have finally joined the 21****st**** Century, I come from a clap phone with a plan to text and call, give me a break :P **

**A bit more angst, but it's aaalllll building up. This story is more fluffy than anything else really. **

**That said, I do hope Someone Aka Me is enjoying it – Happy Holidays ;) **

Closing the door behind him, Morgan rested against it, taking a good look at his best friend. She looked like she had been crying, and the state of her office was nothing like her either. Gone were all her troll dolls, her pictures and her fuzzy pens, everything was arranged meticulously. There was not a computer cable unaligned, the screens were set straight, and he thought he actually spotted a ruler behind her keyboards. Her waste-basket was overflowing with tissues though, and there was a collection of empty coffee cups gathering dust on one of the open desks, telling him this was a full-on crisis.

"Baby Girl," he started, stretching his arm to touch her cheek, but she stepped back, avoiding him, and she'd never, ever done that before, "What is wrong?"

"It's _Garcia_," she answered in an ice cold tone sending shivers up his spine, "these endearments are hardly professional." His intake of breath was probably audible in the hallway, but Derek didn't care. _This_ was the beginning of the Apocalypse. The world as he knew it – gone.

"But to answer your question, nothing is wrong," she continued in a softer tone, "I have work to do."

"Oh hell no," he suddenly jumped back to life, determined to fight to get his Baby Girl back, for his world, for her, for Christmas, for their friendship, hell, for their love. He usually did whatever she asked him to do, but not this time. "You are coming with me." Without saying another word, he lifted her in his arms, carrying her out of her office despite her angry cries to let her go.

"Tell Hotch we'll be in tomorrow," he barely took the time to stick his head in the door of JJ's office, who greeted him with raised eyebrows but simply pursed her lips and nodded, figuring that whatever he was up to, he knew Penelope best and desperate times called for desperate measures. They needed some Christmas spirit, dammit!

=~==The Profile Who Saved Christmas==~=

"Okay, and now you're going to tell me what's wrong with you," Morgan demanded, authority shining in his voice, after he sat her down on his couch. It had been a struggle to convince her to get into his car, and she hadn't said a word during the entire ride there, making him even more nervous, but he had decided it was best to wait until they were settled on his couch before starting this obvious battle of wills.

"Nothing is wrong with me," Penelope said flatly. She was stubborn as a mule, he knew that. And he also knew there was an unspoken rule not to profile the members of their team. But, not wanting to waste any time – and Christmas was a mere five days away – he was going to. If that too failed, he always had the option of booze – either to render her talkative or to drown his sorrows.

"_Baby Girl,_" he insisted on those two words which conveyed their entire relationship, "You haven't been yourself lately. You're hiding from everyone, you're wearing clothes even HR finds too dull, we haven't heard a single cheerful Christmas song, you're not wearing baubles for earrings, hell, you're not chasing Reid with that god awful ugly Christmas sweater you make him wear _every year_, there's no decorations up, your office looks like someone with OCD spent two weeks in it, and the worst of all, you have been crying and _you didn't even come see me." _He threw up his arms in exasperation, then knelt in front of Penelope, who was resting her head on her hands, massaging her temples.

"So I repeat my question, Goddess, what's wrong?" He asked softly, his fingers under her chin lifting her head so she would look at him and see he meant it, but instead of answering a tear escaped her eyes, and she finally let him take her in his arms for a hug, holding him so close he was afraid he'd burst. Understanding her need to let it all out, he didn't care about his tear-stained shirt or the fact he was sitting rather uncomfortably, he just kept rubbing her back and dropping sweet kisses in her hair.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

When Penelope finally calmed down, Derek eased her back on the couch, caressing her face before he stood up and disappeared into his kitchen, only to come back a moment later with hot cocoa with marshmallows, just the way she liked them.

He held one of the cups in front of her with one of his thousand-watt smiles, and a little voice in his head shouted triumphantly when he received a watery smile in return, some of the spunk he was so used to seeing in her eyes returning.

"Thanks, Hot Stuff," she murmured as he took his spot on the couch next to her, letting her enjoy the taste of her favorite holiday beverage before he'd continue his quest for the truth. One battle was won, but the war was still far from over, he could tell from the defensive position in which she was sitting.

"Feeling a bit better now?" he asked when she put her cup down, scooting a little closer to her, ready to continue working on her defenses, but she beat him to the punch.

"Kevin dumped me," she said in such a sad tone, and he kicked himself for his heart jumping up from joy, now was not the time to be all rejoiced about her break-up, so he hid the large smile which was starting to curl his lips and put his arm around her, pulling her into his side. Then again, he just knew the man had something to do with the state she was in, and he vowed revenge so great it would go down in history as The Day Kevin Lynch Wished He Was Never Born.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but he doesn't deserve you anyway," he comforted her softly, toning down what he really wanted to say about the tech geek.

"Yeah, well...obviously that's not what he thought," she scoffed, getting angry now. Derek remained puzzled, since JJ had told him Kevin was going to ask her to marry him. Still, she'd gone through rough patches with him before and nothing ever resulted in such a catastrophe as now, in fact she'd never even flinched when they'd been on a break before.

"Sweetheart, is that why you shut all of us out? Why you changed yourself so much? No man is worth that, Penelope, no man is even worthy of your love, let alone your distress," he hugged her closer, emotion overtaking him.

He saw the tears were getting ready to fall again, but it seemed they were a different kind of tears, not as desperate as her crying just before, which confused him even more, when he saw her looking away from him, so before she could shut him out again, he cupped her face in his hands, bringing her closer to him.

"Whatever he did to you, princess, he'll pay for it, I swear that," he made a fist behind his back, mentally picturing diverse torture methods to subject her loser ex-boyfriend to, until he'd be begging on his knees for forgiveness.

"It's my fault," she mumbled, looking up at him with so much hurt in her eyes it broke his heart too.

"Nonsense, my perfect Goddess," he shook his head, unbelieving she just said that, adding a few more torture devices to his mental check-list, "You and I are going to order dinner, watch movies, and you are going to tell me exactly what happened. Sounds like a plan?"

He almost thought she'd say no, but when she nodded, he jumped up and grabbed a list of menus along with his phone.

"Okay, your pick, Baby Girl, Mexican, Thai, Italian, Vietnamese, just ordinary Chinese," he started listing some of the choices with such enthusiasm she just had to smile, and he finally had a bit of hope that everything would return to normal in no time.

"I'll take the Italian, Handsome," she winked, "Think they deliver my own personal stud along with my dinner to cheer me up?"

"Hey!" He faked a hurt expression, "I thought that was what you had me for!"

"Hmmm, who knows what use I might have for you," she quipped, feeling her spirits returning to her. Nothing better than a little Derek Morgan therapy to lift your mood, that was for sure!

"I can't wait to find out," he winked, falling back on the sofa with her, the menu in hand.

**A/N: another prompt crossed off the list, the ugly Christmas sweater. It will make a return, I think, in the chapter I'm writing right now! **


	3. Part of the truth sets you free

**A/N: I'm sooooooooooooooo sorry for not posting yesterday – I ended up falling asleep on all of you. I usually post around 2AM but I ended up asleep by midnight. I got about 8-9 hours of sleep, that hasn't happened I weeks O_O. **

**Anyway, I'm posting now, and will probably post another chapter when I come home after the Christmas Eve celebrations :) I will reply to reviews as soon as possible, but I'm concentrating on getting all of this written ASAP. I have another holiday story up my sleeve, written as soon as this one is done ;) **

Three movies, dinner and five beers later Penelope was laughing so hard she nearly cried. Morgan was over the moon with this development, as he had been able to successfully take her mind away from all the hurt Kevin had caused her, just like he always had before. He knew they'd still need to have a talk, he knew he'd have to coax her into letting it all out so hopefully he could bring back her Christmas spirit. It just wasn't the same without her cheer. And to be honest, he had missed her so much the last few weeks, that he'd do anything to have her at his side again.

"I can't believe you actually said that," she hiccuped, while Morgan bowed his head, running his hands over it and then looking up at her with a big smile. The story was embarrassing, certainly, but he didn't mind at all. She was the only one he'd tell such stories to anyway, and he knew she'd never abuse of his trust to get back at him or anything. She knew pretty much everything about him anyway, and he thought he knew about everything about her too, although the did feel that the past few years they'd grown a distance between them, and the feeling of loss had only grown due to Kevin's insistence she spend most of her time with him. He didn't like it at all, but she had made her choice, and she was happy with it, so he never once said anything about it.

"What can I say, she was moving _way_ too fast," he admitted, "And she was like totally not my type either." He shook his head, a smile still on his lips at the recollection, missing the tears starting to build up in Penelope's eyes.

"Hey, hey, Sweetheart, did I say something?" he worried about her when he looked up again, trying to think what could've set her off suddenly like that.

"No," she smiled through her tears, looking away, "No, it's not you."

"Tell me" He whispered against her ear, after wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. He didn't have to explain what he wanted her to tell him, she understood he wanted to know what was wrong. She took a big breath, opened her mouth, then closed it again, sat back against the armrest, her feet propped up on Morgan's lap, and almost absentmindedly he started massaging her feet. She'd kicked off her high heels hours ago, but he saw she was still tense. Truth be told, as much as he loved her shoe style, he never quite understood how she could stand up in them, much less run around as quick as she did.

"Kevin... Kevin got engaged," she finally said after another minute or so of silence, "Three weeks ago."

Morgan just nodded, that coincided with what JJ had told him. Except … JJ was under the firm impression that Kevin had asked _Penelope_ to marry him.

"Not to me," she clarified, stumped by her best friend's silence, who was trying to add up everything.

"JJ told me he asked her to invite you for the afternoon to decorate your apartment. She thought he was going to ask _you." _Morgan softly urged her on.

"JJ asked me to go out with her and Henry. Of course I said yes, she knew I'd say yes, I barely get to see him, with our schedules and Kevin usually hates it when I'm gone all afternoon, but I couldn't pass up on that and he seemed happy I would see Henry," Penelope closed her eyes, rethinking the moment. Morgan said nothing, just gently looked at her, rubbing her feet.

"I went all afternoon, and I could tell something was up from the way JJ was around me," Penelope smiled a little, looking up at him, "You probably wouldn't tell but I picked up a thing or two from you profilers."

"You're smarter than all of us combined, except maybe for Reid," Morgan quipped, "Of course you did."

"Well, I asked JJ why she kept asking how things were going with Kevin, and she kept talking about things … you and me did," Pen hesitated, not sure how to continue. "She only told me Kevin would be waiting for me when I got home, and he had a surprise for me."

Morgan nodded again, not wanting to interrupt her, seeing from the way she swallowed away a lump in her throat that now came the difficult part. Instead of talking, he just grabbed her hand and softly rubbed it with his thumb.

"Not the kind of surprise I had in mind, when I came home, and all of Kevin's stuff was gone. It wasn't that much, but still. He went through albums and took out every picture that existed of him and me. Deleted them from my computer," she paused, "Well, the ones he had access too. Boy doesn't know how to get through my safety," she scoffed.

"He was never ever as good as you," Morgan smiled, and he was relieved to see her smile back. Talking about it seemed to really improve her mood, and it made him wonder why she had been so upset for the past three weeks. Because it didn't seem to be so much the fact she was no longer with Kevin, it seemed to be the reason _why _he broke up with her. But somehow, he doubted she was going to tell him willingly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked instead, trying to get to the root of the problem, "You know I would've been there, I'd have talked to him. Instead, you lock yourself up and you try and _change yourself_."

She shrugged, not really wanting to tell more. The truth was too embarrassing. She'd said more than she wanted to already.

"You said he got engaged..." Morgan prodded again, as his previous approach didn't work.

"Yeah. I went to his apartment, I thought..." Her voice trailed off, and she just lifted her hand, then let it drop again in defeat, "I thought I at least deserved an explanation."

"Did you get one?" He took her hand in his again, giving her the support she needed.

"Yes," She bowed her head, but he wouldn't let her be drawn into herself again, nudging her on by raising their joined hands to her face, lifting her chin.

"What did he say?" To him, it was a certainty that Kevin had said something. He'd never had a good opinion of the man, and, he told himself, seeing his baby girl like this confirmed him in his thought it wasn't just jealousy which made him despise him so much.

"I arrived there, and a woman opened the door," Garcia swallowed her tears away, looking away, "She presented herself as his girlfriend, pardon, fiancee."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, mimicking the woman's tone, but it was bitter, and Morgan did everything he could to control himself not to get up and give Lynch a piece of his mind.

"Kevin came out, and he laughed at me," Penelope continued, "He said he tried, but he wanted someone normal. Someone like her. That I'd never find someone if I didn't change. He said... I left, and that was that."

"Oh baby girl, he doesn't know what he is missing," Morgan reassured her, cupping her face, softly caressing her cheek with his thumb, "He has no idea."

**A/N: Still liking it? Make my holidays ;) **


	4. Bringing Christmas back

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! Here, it's getting better ;) **

**I wanted to post this last night, but I got in past 1AM with a 3y old, after driving on snowy/icy roads for over an hour, and earlier in the evening I fell on a patch of ice with my daughter on my arm, so it was sort of hectic when we came back ;) My arm hurts a little, I have up to chapter 6 of this written, let's hope I can complete it in timely fashion!**

She hadn't told him everything, but he still decided to leave it there, at least for right now. Something in her tone, the way she avoided looking at him, the way she tried to change the subject, acting lightheartedly, told him there was more to her story, and it was probably the key to the problem. The Penelope he knew would be hurt by such a comment, but it wouldn't devastate her.

He sensed mostly anger towards her ex-boyfriend, at his deceit, his betrayal, his dismissal of three years of a relationship. Her love, probably. He had no idea whether she had loved the man, it was a territory he never, ever dared to venture into, because it'd hurt him too much, and his status as a player, while it had worked against him in the end, had then been a welcome excuse to feign ignorance of the ins and outs of relationships. Truth was, he didn't want to hear her say she loved someone else. He preferred thinking she was … he didn't even know what he was thinking. Obviously, the fact she stayed with Lynch for three years meant he was more than just a crush. Derek just had a hard time admitting it.

"How about we get some sleep, baby girl?" He gently nudged her, she was resting her head on his shoulder and he could feel the tiredness and stress radiating from her, although he was doing a good job of helping her shed all those feelings weighing her down. It was getting late, and although both of them were night owls, an early night in might just be what she needed.

"I'll call a taxi!" she immediately exclaimed, "I don't want to bother you even more, you must be exhausted." He didn't know whether to smile at her concern for him, even now, or be hurt because she immediately assumed he wanted to get rid of her.

"Honey, you can sleep here. We'll swing by yours tomorrow morning to get you changed. But now, shower, and then bed!"

Fortunately for him, she didn't put up a fight and accepted right away, he didn't know whether it was because she really was as exhausted as she looked or because she didn't want to be alone, but it worked for him.

Half an hour later, they were both showered and ready for bed, and Morgan gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before shooing her off into the guest bedroom. He was halfway the hallway to his own bedroom, when he heard her call him and in a second, he was next to the bed.

"I..." Her voice was soft, her eyes pleading, and she didn't even need to finish her thought before he slipped under the covers besides her and wrapped her up safely in his arms.

"Thank you," she whispered in the dark, his only answer was a lingering kiss on her temple, and he waited until her breathing had evened out to close his eyes himself, his heart aching at how much he missed this closeness. And wanted it every day.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

"You are wearing the red dress, if I'll have to I'll put it on you myself!" Morgan stood waiting at the door of her apartment, next to several boxes with Christmas decorations. He'd hauled them out of her storage closet while she was getting ready, talking to her through the beaded curtain which separated her bedroom from her living room.

He knew it was an empty threat, but he hoped she'd do it anyway. Waking up wrapped around her had been an experience he couldn't quite describe. He had never slept so soundly in his life, not since his father died, and especially not since he joined the Bureau. There had been a slightly awkward moment when they'd both realised they were completely tangled, but she'd pressed a kiss against his cheek, so soft he still felt it two hours later, and then, without having spoken a word, she'd disappeared into his bathroom for a quick shower while he contemplated the consequences of wooing her. It scared him. But the thought of missing another chance …

And then, a plan had formed in his mind, and he was fully executing it.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

"PG, now Christmas is complete!" Emily exclaimed when they walked into the bullpen together. Penelope smiled, not quite yet her usual radiant smile but still enough to lighten up the entire room with her presence. Her red dress was hugging her curves in all the right places, the bauble earrings were dangling from her ears, she looked the part like she had all Christmases Derek had known her.

Now he had five days to bring back her spirit too.

Today, he considered it a success she was drinking coffee with the team, exchanging endearments and jokes. By the end of the day, Morgan could tell her smile was genuine, and she was starting to get into the Christmas mood, playing her good old seasonal songs and singing along.

In fact, he'd have said the day was perfect if they didn't suddenly catch an urgent case, requiring them to leave to the other side of the country within the hour. He barely had the time to come say goodbye to his baby girl, worried how this would affect her mood. He had, after all, promised her she could wake up like they had for as long as she wanted...

"Baby girl," He knocked on the door frame, relieved to find it open while she had turned Reliant K's Christmas album at least down enough the entire hallway wasn't tempted into a mosh pit.

"You have to go," She didn't look up from her computers, she'd taken a head start on information Hotch and Reid had asked for, but she also didn't want him to see she was trying very hard not to cry.

"I'll make it up to you, you hear?" he promised her, bending over to press a tender kiss to her cheek, giving her shoulders a quick rub.

"Make it up to me by coming home safely, handsome," she smiled through a few tears pooling in her eyes, and in a second he was crouching in front of her, wiping them away, he wanted to say something, but instead just lifted his hand, as if he wanted to caress her cheek, then dropped it again. He opened his mouth, didn't find the words either, and his cellphone starting to ring didn't exactly help him gather his thoughts.

"Gotta go," he breathed, not wanting to leave her like this, but also knowing he had no other choice. Sighing, he stood up, and after one last kiss on her forehead he hurried towards the waiting SUVs which would bring them to the air strip.

**A/N: Almost all better there. Kevin will soon only be an afterthought :) **


	5. Pesky UNSUB

**A/N: Here's the next installment. **

**First: thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites. They warm my heart. I know I haven't answered them yet, but the time of the year has been unexpectedly hectic. Guess who had an allergic reaction to food yesterday? LOL. **

**Disclaimer: I sort of forgot to add this, but I own nothing at all. Unfortunately. I didn't find the rights to Criminal Minds under my Yule tree, despite fervent wishing. **

"Kevin never asked _her_ to marry him," Derek told JJ over a sandwich they were quickly eating in a diner while waiting for search results. She raised an eyebrow, encouraging him to continue.

"The jerk is engaged to someone else," he added in an angry tone, he still couldn't believe how anyone could do that to his baby girl. If you asked him, he wouldn't hesitate... "He took the afternoon, cleared out his stuff, and wasn't even going to tell her why."

"Still," JJ mused, "I never thought she'd be this heartbroken over _him_." Morgan looked away, he honestly didn't know. Obviously, he made a great friend if he didn't even know the basics of her three year relationship.

"Just in time for Christmas, too," Morgan looked around at all the decorations in the diner, he couldn't help but worry about Penelope again, "All her plans probably fell through." JJ looked at him weirdly, her head cocked to the side, as if she was trying to gauge whether he was serious or not.

"What?" he sat back in his chair, one arm flung over its back, questioning her change in mood.

"Morgan, she _never_ has any plans for Christmas. She works. Kevin goes to his family, and she's not invited," JJ carefully told him, not wanting him to lose it in the middle of a small Californian town.

"What the ... ?" he started, but JJ's cellphone rang. They were getting closer to their UNSUB, and if he could do anything about it, Derek vowed to be home in time for Christmas … and to make Penelope's holidays the best she ever had.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

On the 23rd, Derek was almost ready to turn over every single stone in his vicinity just to find their UNSUB. The case had looked rather straight-forward, abduction-murder-dump of several women in a 50 mile radius around the town. Except they still had not even a single possible subject.

"Damned," he kicked an empty can of coke laying around, all his planning was almost shot to hell – but wasn't such always the fate of BAU profilers. Still, he'd pulled so many favors to surprise Penelope – arranged with Hotch and the director for the two of them to have the next week off, informed his mother he wasn't coming alone this year, arranged them seats on the same flight... and now what should have been a simple case was threatening to ruin everything.

"Reid, please tell me you have a miracle for me," he sighed in his phone, getting strange looks from Prentiss who had come out to the last dumping ground with him, but Reid could only inform him that their latest lead had lead to a man who died out of state.

"What's the matter with you?" Emily asked, sifting through a wild rose bush, her brow slightly furrowed.

"Nothing," he grumbled, going in the opposite direction of where she was standing.

"You know if you keep being distracted like that, we're going to be stuck out here forever!" she yelled after him, making him stop and turn around, "You're not doing anyone a favor with that."

"I want to get home in time to do something for Garcia, she never celebrates..." His voice trailed off, he had a sudden overwhelming feeling of guilt washing over him, because he'd never even known.

"Do you ever wonder why you didn't know?" Prentiss stepped closer, wiping her hands from looking through the dirt. "Morgan, she doesn't tell you these things because she doesn't want you to worry about her while you're finally with your family."

"I know," he said, softly, almost inaudibly, "I should've known, though, best friends are supposed to be there for them."

"Derek,..." Emily hesitated, unsure of how he'd take what she was about to say next, "You've ignored her relationship and anything that has to do with it for the past three years. Ask yourself why, why you couldn't be happy for her and listen to her, be there for her. You used to be able to talk about everything. Think, Morgan, and maybe when you've figured it out you can really do something about it."

He just nodded – there was nothing more to add to her words. Her question was rhetorical, they both knew the answer. Only it was the first time someone dared to tell him out loud. He was pulling off his gloves, ready to call it a day and go back to the precinct, when Prentiss called him over.

"Morgan, this is likely the UNSUB's," she pointed at a weapon, laying a bit out of the way, as if it had fallen and slid away.

"He must've been interrupted when Phillips found the body this morning," Morgan agreed, "And it probably fell while he was in a hurry."

"He might come back for it, this is a collector's piece," Emily added. Their UNSUB had a very particular modus operandi, in which detail played a big role. Which was why it was even more particular they couldn't catch him, yet finding the antique weapon shed a whole new light on the situation. If his ritual was carried out with heirloom instruments, it was no wonder they weren't registered and Garcia couldn't find him. Now, however, she would be able to.

"We'll be waiting for him," Morgan said with a grim face, as he walked back towards the SVU and called for back-up.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

The plane rid home seemed to take double as long as usual. It was certainly not the first time the team had traveled to California, but Derek blamed his impatience to get back to Penelope for the torture he was currently enduring. And with a bit of luck, he would be traveling even more that day, commercial on top of it.

Every minute of the flight, all he could think about was how he wanted to see her face lift up when she opened her presents. They'd been chatting every night since the case, and he could tell she was feeling a lot better about herself, especially helped by the many compliments he wasn't shy with at all.

He had barely been able to stay buckled up in his seat while they were landing, and as soon as the doors opened he was the first one out, running towards the waiting SUVs. A quick look on his watch showed him he had six hours to make it back to the airport on time, more than enough to surprise Penelope, who would be hard at work, unsuspecting of the change in her plans, drive her home to pack, pick up his own luggage at home and then drive the both of them back for their flight. Anxious to spend their Christmas with their loved ones too, the rest of the team was right behind him and they made it back to the FBI building in record time.

**A/N: And what a glorious plan Morgan will unfold :) **


	6. Surprise

**A/N: Two more chapters and an epilogue after this :) Sorry for posting so late, bf decided we needed to reorganise the kitchen since it's his realm, so I obliged because he will bake me cookies and cake this week ;) **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! Right now I'm concentrating on getting the last of my work done and writing this story, I will reply to all of you later. But, thank you, thank you, thank you :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. However, dear TPTB, my Yule tree is still up, and I'm not nitpicky about details like dates and such ;) **

"Alright everyone just drop off the paperwork you already have and the rest-" Hotch turned around, stopped mid-sentence by the sight when they entered the bullpen.

The entire room was decorated even more outrageously than the year before, there were strings of garland, tinsels, baubles, fir branches and lights strung everywhere, especially on their desks. Most of the other agents who weren't working on critical cases or were manning the office on guard duty were gone, so the place would've looked rather dark if it wasn't for the exuberant holiday cheer displayed prominently everywhere. There was soft music playing from somewhere, and they would later swear Strauss was laughing when she locked up her office.

"I don't know what you did, Morgan, but thanks for saving Christmas," Prentiss slapped his back with a cheer, as they were discovering the gingerbread houses and gifts on their desks.

"Whatever it was, keep doing it, it obviously pleases the lady," Rossi quipped, humming along with the more traditional "Jingle Bells", holding a set of whiskey tumblers

"Oh no," Reid groaned, making all of them turn towards the young genius who was holding up a knitted sweater.

"Nice outfit," JJ giggled.

"Merry Christmas," Hotch added dryly, much to everyone's delight.

"Man, you _have_ to tell me what's with the sweater, _every_ year she does this to you," Morgan put his arm around Reid's shoulder, smiling brightly.

"It's my aunt Mildred," the profiler said softly, "Or whoever she was." He was met with raised eyebrows and questioning glances, encouraging him to go on.

"My mother hardly ever celebrated the holidays, she thought they were just an invention of the government to turn our attention away from their secret projects," he continued, in the same tone, "So every year I got a package in the mail with a hideous, hand-knit sweater in it, and a note from Aunt Mildred."

He swallowed, before adding the next part of his story, "I had no idea who she was, I didn't know I had an Aunt, and there was no return address. But every year, she made my Christmas, and I wore them with pride until she stopped when my mother was committed."

He paused, knowing fully well that everyone in the room knew what he thought deep down inside of him, that the sweaters had come from his mother. Nobody was going to say it out loud though.

"I only ever told Garcia," he explained why he received new sweaters, "She gifts me with one every year.."

"Because it's not Christmas without one," a happy voice behind them completed his sentence, "Wear that sweater, my sweet genius."

Reid smiled shyly, but obliged, feeling the holiday cheer invading him. He wasn't visiting his mother that year because she'd been ill, so Hotch had invited him at the last minute to spend the evening with him and Jack in Haley's family and he would go to Vegas later in the new year.

"Go on now," Penelope started shooing everyone out of the bullpen, to their respective preparations and parties, keeping her hot stuff for the last.

"You need to hurry, handsome, don't keep your mom waiting," she smiled, she was reluctant to see him go but she knew how much he was looking forward to going home for the holidays. Besides, her systems were waiting for her, and she'd set up a few gaming sessions.

"I could say the same to you, sweetheart," he grinned, enjoying the confusion on her face.

"I, well, I picked up a shift today," she hiked her finger over her shoulder, pointing at her office, "I better get going."

"That's not what I meant," Derek stalked closer to her, snaking his arm around her shoulders, "Do you need anything in your office? Because you're coming with me!"

Penelope wanted to protest, she wanted to say she was fine, that she didn't want to intrude on his family time, that she was way too anxious to meet his mother and sisters, that she was happy enough when her family was happy, but he wouldn't hear any of it.

"Come on, baby girl, my momma's hung up a stocking for you next to mine," he coaxed, "You don't want to disappoint her, now do you?"

"Derek Morgan, you are so dead for using a guilt trip on me," she warned him, fire shooting from her eyes but a smile tugging on her lips, "You will pay for this, but I admit it, you got me. There's no way I could disappoint your momma."

"Hmmm, sweetheart, if only I had ya," he mused, shaking his head slightly before getting her bag and coat from her office,ignoring the look on her face, a mixture of wondering and confusion at his words.

"Lock it up well, mama, you're not going to see the insides of it in a week," Morgan warned her.

"A week?" Penelope shrieked, her hand on her heart, eyes wide, which made Morgan laugh.

"Yes, sweetheart, a week. You and I are going to celebrate the holidays in style," he smiled sweetly, taking her hand which was still resting on her chest, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss on it, giving her a wink.

Penelope smiled widely, her heart beating just a little faster when she realised what great lengths her best friend had gone to to ensure that she had something to look forward to the holiday period.

"Hey, hey, no tears, did I say something wrong?" Morgan worried as he saw her eyes filling up and he wiped a tear or two away which were spilling over.

"No, no, handsome," she waved her hand in front of her face, "These are happy tears. Nobody has ever done something like this for me since my parents died."

"Well, maybe nobody has ever loved you as much as I do since then," Morgan smiled, pulling her close into a hug. If anything, he was going to use this week to show her how much he really loved her, and not just as a friend, like she always seemed to think he did.

"I love you too, my sweet hero," she snuggled closer to him, "Thank you." A week with Derek Morgan was already one of the best gifts she could ever ask for. If anything, she knew she loved him more than she could ever tell him, and maybe now, she would get to show him.

"What do you say, let's get out of here?" he gently eased back, "We have 4 hours to make it to the airport."

Never letting go of her, they quickly made their way to the elevators, fully intended on making this the best holiday both of them ever had.

**A/N: the return of the ugly Christmas sweater, and the first peek of the stocking. The stocking comes back, and then there's one more prompt I could fit in :) **


	7. Celebrations

**A/N: One more chapter and an epilogue, after this :) **

**I hope you all are still enjoying the story, I'm furiously writing the end of it! Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites, after the holiday insanity is over I am sitting down and replying to them all :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

Standing in front of his mother's house, Penelope was sure that Morgan could hear her heart beat loudly in her chest, she squeezed his hand tighter, as to draw strength from him. She'd been fine during their – given the time of the year – rather uneventful flight and the drive to his mom's, but when he'd started pointing out all the places in his old neighborhood where he used to hang, she had started feeling a bit nauseous. This was probably going to be the first Christmas she celebrated on the day itself, with family or friends, since her parents died. Her brothers had tried to keep the tradition for a while more but she'd gone underground really soon after and after her arrest and then starting her job at the FBI she'd preferred working. Meeting Kevin had opened new perspectives for her, the first year she'd understood they weren't together long enough for his family to invite her, but she'd been disappointed year after year.

"There's no reason to be nervous, sweetheart," Morgan squeezed back, stopping in the middle of the alleyway, his hands on her shoulders turning her to face him.

"What if they don't like me?" she whispered, her worst fear was that the Morgan family wouldn't approve of their friendship, or whatever there was between them, "I should've stayed at work like ever year." Morgan frowned, unsure of where this was coming from. He'd talked about his family many times with her, she'd talked to them over the phone, and they had all been extremely welcoming of her. If anything, when she wasn't around, his mother didn't neglect to mention he should man up and declare her his love already.

_"You talk about her all the time, I might as well get my grandbabies out of the deal,"_ his mother had said one time, but he wasn't about to repeat that to Penelope. At least not right now.

"Baby, my family loves you, and you know that. What makes you think they'd change their minds because you're coming?" As soon as he'd asked, he knew the answer, and mentally kicked himself for making it even harder for her.

"I met Kevin's parents a couple of times, but I was never welcome for any holiday festivities," Penelope answered in a small voice, "Kevin said it was because I was too loud, too outgoing, they didn't like it I worked. They invited _her_ instead."

"Bastards," he muttered, a slight tick in his jaw revealing how angry they made him while he pulled her close to him, "They are blind not to see you're the most gorgeous, funny, caring, smart, fabulous woman any man could ever meet. _My _family loves you, for them it's enough that you're my perfect-..." He didn't get to finish his spontaneous confession, as the door opened and his sisters ran out to greet them, leaving Penelope wondering what exactly he had meant with that last sentence, if maybe, _maybe_, he felt something for her too.

But instead of being able to ask him, she was pulled right into the holiday celebrations by a joyful Morgan family, who, like he had said, loved her to pieces and was beyond thrilled to have her.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

During dinner, Garcia couldn't help but shoot quick glances all around her, pinching herself to make sure this was all real. Morgan hadn't exaggerated: his family did love her, and from the minute they stepped in she had been enveloped in Fran Morgan's arms, who was giving her a big hug and kept telling her how pleased she was to finally meet her son's baby girl. It made her question what exactly Morgan had been telling his mother and sisters about her, especially given what he had been saying to her while they were standing outside, before they were interrupted, she had assisted to more than one of their conversations over the years but lately, after they had drifted apart when she started dating Kevin, she hadn't any longer and she always figured he'd only done it because she had been there.

All night long, conversation had flown freely, not once was there an awkward silence or a misunderstanding of any sort. In fact, she felt like she was already part of their family, which made it sometimes hard to look at a beaming Derek, who was sitting next to her, his arm casually resting around her waist. She wished she was _really_ part of their family, she hadn't felt such a sense of belonging since her own family fell apart, and it hurt to know she probably wouldn't find one again unless she started her own. Her entire relationship with Kevin had been based on that: the desire to start over. They had enough affinities, and she thought she could love him over time.

Now, she was sitting with Derek in the couch of his mother's living room, in front of the open fire they were enjoying a last glass of wine while everyone else had gone to bed. The night had been a real success, but they weren't tired in the least: back home in Virginia they never went to bed before the early hours of the morning either.

"You should've warned me beforehand, I'd have bought gifts for your family," Penelope looked at the stockings hanging on the wall, she still couldn't believe they had gone to such great lengths to surprise her. Just like he had said, there was an extra stocking next to his, with her "name" on it: Fran had actually taken the time to hand embroider "baby girl" onto it, and it was stuffed to the brim with stocking stuffers.

"Nonsense, bringing yourself was the greatest gift you could ever give them," Morgan grinned, before growing thoughtful. "Or me," he continued, feeding the tension which existed between them since he almost poured his heart out earlier that night. She snuggled closer to him, with a content smile on her lips, as he was trailing his fingers over her arm.

"Come on, baby, let's get some sleep, Santa's coming early tomorrow," he suddenly said, sitting upright. Sarah, her husband and her two children had gone home but would be back in the morning to unwrap gifts, leaving her old room for Penelope.

"Goodnight, baby girl," Morgan told her tenderly, softly putting a strand of hair back behind her ear before kissing her forehead, "Thanks for making my Christmas."

Penelope just stood there, watching him as he disappeared into his old room, before she turned around and got into bed. She definitely had a lot to think about until the morning.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

"That is so unimaginative!" Penelope laughed at Morgan who was finishing up a snowman in his mother's garden, helped by his two nephews. She herself was sculpting the snow into a series of animals, so far she had made a turtle, a crocodile, a rabbit and now she was attempting a dog. It was a lovely, sunny day for Christmas, and they were enjoying a bit of outdoors time after opening up presents that morning and sharing a joyful breakfast. Penelope still marveled at how lucky she was to be part of the celebration.

"Unimaginative, huh," Morgan growled, sneaking up on her and grabbing her waist from behind, pulling her against him, "I guess I'll have to do better showing you I'm not."

"Is that a challenge or a promise, hot stuff," Penelope giggled, trying to break free from his grasp.

"Oh that's it!" Morgan exclaimed, laughing loudly, "Let's make a Penelope out of snow!" He let go of her, a huge grin plastered across his face, and she stepped back immediately, knowing he was up to no good, her suspicion confirmed when he bent over and grabbed some snow, his eyes fixated on her. When she heard his nephews' war cries, after they saw what Uncle Derek was up to, she knew there was no way out, and decided to just fight back.

Half an hour later, Morgan surrendered. Penelope had successfully managed to convince his nephews to attack their Uncle instead of her, and together they'd cornered him in the back of the garden. Morgan playfully went along with their attack, exaggerating when they hit him, and generally not putting up much of a fight, to his nephews' delight.

"Thank you," Penelope smiled, as he pulled her down in the snow with him, after the boys finally let him go, lured inside by their mother's promise of hot chocolate.

"For making this the best Christmas ever," she explained when seeing his questioning look, "This year I really wanted to give up on it."

"I'm sorry for not doing it earlier," Morgan admitted, "I should've known you didn't celebrate, I should've known Kevin was such a jerk to you, I should've stopped him from breaking your heart."

"It's okay handsome, there are things you can't protect me from," she mused, reminding them both that somehow fate had always brought them back together, even if the circumstances were often difficult, "It's not _him_ who broke my heart, it's what he said about _you_ that did."

**A/N: The return of the stockings, and the final prompt: 'snow dog' (although used with liberty I guess lol) **

**Ready for the rest? **


	8. Resolution

**A/N: We've come to the end of this adventure now – the chapter is slightly longer but I didn't want to cut it anywhere ;) **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, alerts, favorites. I am sitting down and replying to them as soon as I can – things are really hectic right now! **

**I am writing an epilogue for this, as well as an epilogue for 'baby, if you were mine', next there will be an m-rated holiday-themed story for klcm. **

**To Someone Aka Me: thank you for the prompts, I am glad you enjoyed it so far, I hope the finale is living up to your expectations and that the story worked for you :) **

**Happy Holidays everyone! **

Penelope looked away, unsure of how her confession would be received. She hadn't planned on ever telling him this, but she didn't want Morgan to feel guilty about not helping her, not being there for her. He had done so much for her this Christmas time, that she felt she owed him the truth, even if things might become slightly awkward afterward, especially if he didn't return her feelings.

"What did he say?" Morgan encouraged her to go on, the palm of his hand resting against her cheek to make her look back up to him. Penelope felt the tension grow thicker, she swallowed hard before gathering her courage in both hands. _This_ was exactly the reason why she had avoided him and her family for three weeks. She stood up, brushing the snow from her clothes, and he followed suit, his eyes searching hers to understand what was going on.

"He...," her words remained stuck in her throat, no matter how many times she had played the conversation with Kevin in her mind, she still had a hard time putting it into words, "Kevin couldn't handle what was going on between us. He has been jealous from day one." She decided to just start from the beginning, maybe that would make it easier.

Morgan nodded in response, his eyes still intently fixated on hers, he had known Kevin objected to their friendship. At least then, he'd still thought it was friendship. After she was shot, he had realised he loved her – but he kept telling himself, it was like a friend. He knew now, he'd been a fool.

"I kept telling him we were just friends, that there was no reason to be jealous..." she explained her reaction, "But I lied, he was right." She swallowed hard again, looking up at Derek expectantly, trying to gauge his reaction.

"He was right, I always wanted more from you," she carefully continued, shivering, not sure whether it was from nerves or the cold out there.

"Baby Girl, I had..." Morgan wanted to grasp the moment to tell her he did too, but she silenced him with her finger on his lips, so he cupped her face with both his hands now, intent on not letting the moment slip away from them.

"He told me to have a nice life, pining for someone who would never want someone like _me."_ Derek opened his mouth, he couldn't believe she'd really have thought that, he couldn't believe she hadn't told him.

"Handsome, please, let me finish," she pleaded, this was probably the hardest thing she had ever done on a Christmas morning, "Kevin said... He said it had done me a great deal of good, to always defend you, take your side, continue to love you when now I had lost you too."

"You never lost me," Derek croaked, his voice gruff, but Penelope cut him off.

"He was right, there too. I let us grow apart, and I couldn't stand the thought I had lost you forever," she whispered, looking up at him with big eyes, "I was so angry with myself, to let that happen. Everything he said, about me, about you, made me question myself."

Derek stood silent, knowing that at least part of that was his fault. He'd deliberately put some distance between them when she started dating Lynch, not because the man was jealous – and Derek knew it – but because it hurt him too much to see her in the arms of someone else. He'd waited for so long to hear her say she wanted more – but not because she thought she lost him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He choked out the words, overwhelmed by the implications. If only, he'd been more straightforward, she wouldn't have been hurt like this. If she'd told him, they wouldn't have wasted so much time.

"I didn't want things to be awkward between us," Penelope answered honestly, "I didn't want to be the silly girl who falls for the man she can't have, Casanova's next victim. I knew a man like you wouldn't love a woman like me, wouldn't want the same and I didn't want you to feel bad about it." She gave him a wry smile, the past hurt evident on her face.

"Above all, I didn't want to lose my best friend, even though I thought I did anyway, and I'm glad I was wrong," she continued, unsure of what his sudden silence meant, the pained look marring his features, as she instantly regretted letting the moment lure her into confessing the real reason behind her strange behavior. She took a step towards him, craving his arms around her, a hug in his strong arms to tell her everything was alright. Instead, he took a step back.

"I don't know who you were thinking about, Penelope, but if you knew me at all, you'd have known you could trust me. That I'd always be your friend," he told her in a cold tone, before turning around and walking towards his mom's house.

"Derek, wait!" She cried, trying to catch up with his long strides, "Of course I knew..."

"Not now, P, not now," he interrupted her, raising his hand behind him to let her know he wanted to be left alone.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

"Derek, why is Penelope not picking up her phone?" JJ asked, her tone worried. She had tried to call her best friend repeatedly, and the tone always rang out. She'd left two voicemails over the last hour, and finally decided on calling Morgan in case something was wrong. She knew neither of them would ignore their phones on purpose, in normal times – after all, they could be called back for a case any time.

Morgan remained silent – he knew the answer, but he also knew JJ wouldn't be happy to hear it.

"Morgan, what did you do to her?" JJ demanded, interpreting his lack of response correctly.

"She wanted more from me all this time, JJ, and she never told me," he finally said, his voice sounding broken.

"Why would she tell you, Derek?" JJ's tone softened, understanding how difficult this had to be for both her friends.

"Why didn't she trust me? Why didn't she see she means everything to me?" He countered her question with more of his own – he knew very well why - he hadn't been able to admit that to himself until just recently. It just hurt him to know that he could have had everything he wanted, but that the woman of his dreams thought he was nothing but a player. That he hurt her so much. That they missed so many opportunities, so much time together.

"Morgan, did you ever give her any reason to trust you with that? To think she means everything to you?" JJ chided him, "You, the ladies' man?" He knew she was right – he had been dating an endless string of women, loudly proclaiming is independence and lack of desire to even think about settling left and right. The only time he'd been a little more serious about someone, they'd gotten into a big fight about it, because he didn't trust her judgment, and she had been right all along. The way he'd acted, it was a wonder she actually still had feelings for him at all.

"You're right. Thanks. Bye JJ," Morgan hung up the phone, and lied down on his old bed, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

=~==The Profiler Who Saved Christmas==~=

Not really knowing where to go, Penelope had followed Derek inside, thankful his mother and sisters were busy in the dining room playing with the children and their new toys. She didn't want anyone to see her like this, her eyes puffy and her face red. She had gone up to Sarah's old room, pulled out a book from her bag but she couldn't concentrate on a single word, and ignored JJ's phonecalls for an hour. She just didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Of all possible reactions he could have had, she never thought Derek would have been upset and walked away from her because she hurt him. Thinking about it, she could see his point, but that didn't make her heart feel any better.

Just as she had decided to try and sleep, she heard a knock on her door.

"Baby girl, can I come in please?" Derek pleaded, no sign left of the harsh edge his tone had earlier.

She didn't answer, so he pushed the door open slightly, still standing in the hallway.

"Penelope, I'm sorry," he apologized, bracing himself for a difficult conversation, and he knew he deserved it.

"Derek, I'm really not up to this right now," Penelope said in a wary tone, illustrated by the dried tears on her cheeks.

"Hear me out, sweetheart, _please_," His tone was begging, a sharp contrast to his usual self-confident, almost arrogant demeanor. Penelope just nodded, but she still didn't look at him.

"I shouldn't have reacted like I did, out there," he started, carefully formulating everything he had been mulling over the past hour, "Truth is, I was hurt. Because I'm in love with you, and I had almost resigned myself that I could never have you." He swallowed, before continuing, "I didn't like being confronted with myself, with my player image, I didn't like realising it was my own fault if you broke my heart, because I never gave you any reason to think I was serious about _you." _

Penelope slowly sat up at his words, trying to process what he was trying to tell her. She was still hurt, by his reaction, but his words had a soothing effect on her soul, and just one look at him told her he was genuine, and suffering just as much as she was from the situation. She let him take both of her hands in his as he knelt in front of her, rubbing his thumbs over them.

"I'm in love with you, Penelope," he repeated, "You've always been the one for me." Sitting upright, his face was only inches away from her, and he searched her eyes, trying to convince her this was real.

"Then why didn't you trust _me_ enough to tell _me_?" she fired his earlier reproach back at him, squeezing his hands, ever so softly, but enough to encourage him.

"I was an idiot, Baby Girl," he stated without hesitation, thinking back of his phone conversation with JJ, "I shut myself off of the possibility, first because I thought I wasn't ready to settle down, then because you had Lynch, and because of that I unconsciously ignored a large part of your life, to protect myself." She smiled at his words, it was true, he _had _ been an idiot, but to hear him say it, was something different.

"I was an idiot too," she mused, "Think of everything we could've had if we both hadn't been blind." She brought her lips closer to his, her hands moving up to rest in the nape of his neck.

"Maybe we weren't ready then," he agreed, bridging the last inch between them. "I am more than ready now," he added, looking for a sign of permission to continue and do what he had wanted to do since the day they met.

"I - … " Penelope hesitated, his reaction still fresh in her mind, if they hadn't trusted each other, was that a good basis for a relationship now? "You shut me out, out there, Derek. I can't do that, if you don't trust me." Derek let his head hang, he deserved that one for blowing up on her like he had.

"I trust you, with my life, Baby Girl," he assured her, "I was overwhelmed, I'm not good with all these feelings." He chuckled, a little bitter.

"Just don't do it again, will you? Talk to me, always, like I promised you I would," Penelope whispered.

Nodding, he took the rest of her insecurities away with a soaring kiss, all conscious thought leaving them as fireworks sparkled between them.

"I love you," he murmured, as he came up for air, pulling her even closer into his arms. He couldn't stand the thought of letting her go. Ever.

"I love you too," she contently smiled against his lips, caressing his cheek.

"_Forever_," he added, stressing his commitment.

"_Forever_," she readily agreed.

**A/N: aaw, you didn't think there wouldn't be a HEA now did you? I couldn't do that ;) **

**I know several of you wanted to make Lynch pay – that's for the epilogue! **


	9. Comeback

**A/N: The epilogue, and now we're really coming to the end of the story. **

**Happy New Years everyone! **

"Thank you, Garcia, that will save us at least two hours of paperwork," the melodic voice of Team B's resident Don Juan came over the speaker, "How's the A-Team doing?"

"Emily's fine, dear," Garcia quipped with a large smile, "You still haven't called her?"

"Nah, we need to set up some drinks when we're all in town, how about Friday?" the Brit remained imperturbable, not wanting to admit he was actually intimidated by Prentiss and wanted a little help from Garcia, who was relentlessly teasing him about it whenever she found an opening.

"My handsome hunk and I will be there, but I can't promise anything about our other profiler buddies," she laughed, not hearing her office door opening and closing behind her.

"Alright then, see you on Friday," Mick agreed, getting back to his paperwork.

"See you on Friday," Penelope grinned, "I'll see what I can do with my raven-haired fairy!"

"Thanks, Garcia," Mick laughed in turn, disconnecting the call.

"Penny!" Penelope jumped at the whiny sound behind her, not expecting anyone to be there, and especially not Kevin. She hadn't talked to him in six months, the way their department was organized she really didn't need to see him at all.

"Hi, uhm, Kevin," she choked out, her hand on her throat, he'd always had a habit of sneaking up on her but she didn't think he'd take the liberty to do so now they were no longer together, "What brings you here?"

"I came to see you, Penny," her ex-boyfriend continued in the same nasal tone which drove her mad so often, "I wanted to know how you were doing."

"I'm fine, _Kevin_,"she politely replied. She was over him – the only thing she regretted was actually being with him in the first place, but her "Everything happens for a reason" outlook on life and Morgan's reassurance that it made them finally realise what they meant to each other made her look at it differently. They had been together for six months now, and while she didn't think it was possible, she loved her profiler more every day. It was so completely different from her relationship with Lynch, and there was not an area of comparison in which Derek didn't come out victorious. She wasn't even mad at Kevin anymore, she just pitied him a little. "Did you need anything?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me, you know, like olden times," Kevin asked, his wedding ring prominently displayed on the hand with which he was nervously readjusting his tie. Penelope couldn't help her mouth falling open at the suggestion, it wasn't like they parted on good terms, especially given _how _they broke up.

"I don't think that is a good idea," Penelope refused firmly, "I really have nothing left to say to you."

"Oh come on, Penny, you know you miss me," he grinned, but his eyes were much less forgiving.

"No, I don't, _Kevin_, not at all, I think you'd better leave," Penelope stood up, ready to escort him to the door if he didn't get the hint.

"Don't be like that, darling," he leered, grabbing her wrist to pull her closer, "You must be lonely by now."

"Let go of me!" Garcia pulled her arm out of his grasp, rubbing it where he had hurt her while she was moving away from him.

"Sweetheart, here's your decaf," Morgan came into her office with a large smile, which froze on his face as he saw Lynch there and Penelope backed up against her desk.

"What is going on in here?" Within a second he was standing next to her, his arm protectively around her waist.

"Oh, how cute," Kevin sneered, anger evident in his expression because he had been interrupted, "There's the prince on the white horse, always at her beck and call but never quite hers."

"What are you talking about?" Morgan growled impatiently, turning to Penelope, "Everything okay baby?"

"Yeah I'm fine, Handsome," she smiled at him, "Kevin here wanted to proposition me it seems." Morgan's eyebrows shot up, he saw her rub her wrist and immediately understood what had been going on.

"Lynch, I'm going to ask you once," he approached the weaselly man in front of him, "Leave, she deserves one hell of a lot better than you. That you're not satisfied in your marriage is your problem, not hers."

"Deserves better," the man scoffed, "Like what, pining after you until she's going to realise she can't have you?" He'd heard the rumors, that Morgan and Garcia were finally together but he'd been hearing those for years so he dismissed them as he had always done.

"I asked you nicely, once," Morgan put a step forward, grabbing Lynch by his collar, "I asked you to leave my fiancee alone, you wouldn't listen." Lifting the smaller man up without any effort, he walked towards the door, opened it, and threw Lynch against the opposite wall, just as Hotch walked past with Reid and Rossi.

"Morgan, is there a problem?" Hotch asked with a raised eyebrow, glaring at Lynch. The team had been informed of the reason behind Penelope's Christmas breakdown, and none of them had any sympathy left towards the tech currently sprawled on the floor.

"That oversized James Bond wannabe assaulted me for no good reason!" Lynch shrieked, pointing at Morgan from his position against the wall, his face blood red.

"Morgan?" Hotch asked his angry subordinate, and a flustered looking Penelope who was now standing beside him, clutching his arm.

"The idiot thinks it's a good idea to come onto Penelope, grab her and try and humiliate her," Morgan spit, his eyes spitting fire.

"Penelope, are you okay?" Hotch asked her, clearly, he knew Morgan would've made sure she was, but he needed to hear her say it.

"I'm fine, Sir, thank you," she nodded, it was more scare than hurt.

"The baby?" Hotch continued, while Lynch's eyes grew wide, only now did he see the diamond and emerald ring on Penelope's finger, Morgan's protective hand on her belly.

"How is that even possible!" Kevin screeched, his mouth hanging wide open when he realised what that meant.

"Get out of here, Lynch," Rossi dragged him to his feet by his vest, "Or we're charging _you _with assault. " Giving the man a shove to stress his message, he turned to Morgan and Garcia.

"Take the afternoon off, you two, and make sure she rests, Morgan," he winked, waving them off while a still unbelieving Kevin gaped at them.

"Thanks, Rossi," Morgan wrapped his arm around Penelope's shoulders, pressing a soft kiss to her lips while their teammates shooed a protesting Kevin away, warning him about the consequences if he ever approached Garcia again.

"Ready to go, mama?" Morgan grabbed her bag, intent on not letting her carry anything, no matter how much she protested. He'd waited way too long to finally have everything he wanted – and there was no way he was taking any risks.

Not anymore.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :) See you next story! **


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